Good samaritans chase & nab chain snatchers

Thane: Three citizens from Thane, chased two thieves on a bike who had snatched two gold chains from a 51-year-old woman waiting for an auto-rickshaw in Panchpakhadi. The woman suffered injuries on her head when she was pushed by the two accused while she tried to resist the thieves.

The three who chased them were setting up a Diwali stall when they heard the woman scream. They handed the accused, Ashok Gangurde and Manish Vishwakarma over to the Naupada Police Station and informed them that the two have several cases registered against them in Mumbai.

The woman, Priya Shinde, went to visit her mother in Panchpakhadi. Bhaskar Shirke, her brother said, “Around 10.00 pm, my sister was awaiting an auto-rickshaw near the gate of Parmarth Niketan in Panchpakhadi with two of her granddaughters.”

The two accused on bike reached his sister who was wearing two gold chains together worth Rs1.60 lakh, he added. They tried to snatch the gold chains. When his sister resisted, they pushed her, she fell back and hit a rock and hurt her head.

Shinde, who was bleeding was rushed to the Thane Civil Hospital and treated for the injury.

Atish More, 37, Satyanarayan Thite, 47 and Nitin Keni, 42 chased the thieves and nabbed them.

More said, “We were setting up the Diwali stall when we heard a woman scream for help and saw two bikers trying to run away from her. We initially thought that it was a case of hit and run and thus ran across the road to ensure they do not escape.”

They ran in front of the bike when it skidded and the thieves fell, he added.

More said, “We saw a chain hanging from the front pocket of the pillion rider, he was trying to throw one of the chains to hide it. A crowd was gathered and the people got aggressive and attacked them. The police arrived on time and took them.”

Sanjay Dhumal, a senior police inspector said, “We have arrested the two, who were caught by the locals and they have several cases registered against them in Mumbai. We recovered both the chains of the complainant from them.”

Both of them were produced in court and remanded to custody till October 21.